


Free.

by heyitsnxel



Series: 30 Trope Prompts. [12]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Prince Phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 14:24:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14917037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsnxel/pseuds/heyitsnxel
Summary: He knew he was engaged to the prince – Philip, his parents had told him. They had always told him he was part of some prophecy. But, while they seemed to think it would all be worth it in the end, Dan was beginning to have his doubts.





	Free.

**Author's Note:**

> day 12: arranged marriage

It had come as quite a shock when the King of Beidric requested the Howell’s first born son, claiming he was prophesied to be a part of their court.

 

Dan’s family didn’t come from royalty. They weren’t wealthy. They weren’t diplomats. The only thing remotely ‘special’ about them was there magic. There was an endless amount of street witches and sorcerers locking themselves away for years to study in the mountains. Potions were a common thing amongst the street vendors. The King had insisted, however, that it was written in the stars.

 

So, it had been decided before Dan was even born. He would marry the second heir to the throne the day he turned 18. Until then, he was to stay out of the public eye. He was to stay hidden. There could be no risk of something happening to him.

 

Which is exactly how he ended up locked in tower deep in the woods surrounding the kingdom. He felt like Rapunzel – minus the magic glowing hair. His parents did the best they could, constantly sending books and papers up to the open window, leaving notes amongst the pages. They missed him, they said, but he couldn’t leave yet. They said to trust them and stay put.

 

It pained Dan to oblige. Living his entire teenage life in complete solitude was dreadful and most of the hours of the day were spent trapped in his own head. He’d grown a nasty habit of talking to himself which surely made him look insane. But, amidst the agonizing loneliness, Dan had ample time to study. He excelled at potions, using the flowers and herbs his parents send to him. He had mastered quite a few spells that were deemed difficult in the magic community. He had read more books about magic than were probably necessary. It all felt pointless though. He had accomplished all this, but for what?

 

He knew he was engaged to the prince – Philip, his parents had told him. They had always told him he was part of some prophecy. But, while they seemed to think it would all be worth it in the end, Dan was beginning to have his doubts.

 

What would even happen tomorrow? His 18th birthday. The first time he would step foot out of the tower since he turned 11 years old. Was he expected to marry the prince on that very day? Would he even meet the prince then?  


He was leaving a tower only to be locked in a kingdom he knew nothing about. It wasn’t freedom, it was just moving from one cage to another.

 

* * *

 

 

The morning came quicker than Dan would have liked. He had expected to wake up in excitement, to bound out of bed and be ready to finally leave. But, it was the opposite.

 

Everything felt heavy. His body was filled with dread, with nerves, with fear. Leaving the tower had sounded like a dream come true for so long, but now that it was time… He was scared (he really did sound like Rapunzel now).

 

There had always been a door to the tower, enchanted to only open once Dan was of age. He wondered if he was supposed to walk out of it or wait for someone to come get him. Technically, he could make a run for it and avoid the whole marriage thing completely.

 

His family would be so disappointed. He quickly squashed the desire in his chest.

 

After a mental argument, that only stopped once Dan realized he was arguing with himself outloud, he decided that he could step outside. It would be fine as long as he didn’t run away.

 

So, he did.

 

The door handle felt cool in his hand as he twisted it. Even though he had known the enchantment would be gone today, he was still surprised when the door opened and the trees around him were within reach. He could walk right out there and touch them.

 

He could.

 

If he would just step out the door.

 

Dan could hear his blood rushing in his ears, his heart sounding like an erratic drum. It was just the outside. He just had to take one step. It was _fine._ He was allowed to now. He amped himself up mentally and stepped out the door, the soles of his feet sinking into the dirt.

 

Just like that all the fear was gone. Dan felt his lips curving into a grin as he walked further out, resisting the urge to look back. If he did, he would probably run back in the door.

 

He chose not to stray far. Surely someone would come looking for him and honestly, the thought of walking around a forest alone wasn’t appealing. He was content with laying on the grass close by, his fingers trailing over the blades so delicately he could barely feel them. It was everything he’d ever wanted.

 

The sound of horses snapped him out of his dream like stupor and he rose to sit. The hooves came to a stop in the dirt outside the door and he watched the men jump down from them. It was almost funny how panicked they became when they saw the door was open, eyes flickering around wildly until they landed on Dan with a relieved sigh.

 

“You shouldn’t be outside.” One said, ushering him towards the horses. Dan wanted to argue and say he deserved it after 7 years, but he kept his mouth shut as he was carted onto the back of a particularly beautiful, white horse and whisked away to the castle.

 

* * *

 

 

The castle was huge and it loomed over Dan’s head in a way that almost made him want to go back to the tower. There were people bustling around everywhere, casting knowing looks in his direction without a word.

 

It came as no surprise that Dan lacked social skills. He had rarely talked to anyone over the past seven years, thus being surrounded by so many people all of a sudden was sending him into a panic that he had never experienced before. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as the guard from before led him through the courtyard and towards the castle gates. He was talking, telling Dan something that sounded important, but all Dan could hear was the sound of his heart. The sound of his footsteps. The sound of his teeth grinding together as his jaw clenched.

 

By the time they had made it inside, Dan was a right mess. The trembling had turned to an alarming shaking, his breathing was shallow.

 

He should have stayed in the tower.

 

The guards looked confused, glancing between each other, as Dan backed himself into the cobblestone wall, eyes wide and frantic. They said something between themselves before the taller of the two wrapped his hand around Dan’s wrist and led him forward, whether he wanted to go that way or not.

 

“No!” Dan snapped, finally speaking. He ripped his hand away from the guard and backed away. He felt like an animal. There were too many people staring now, servants and maids who were busying themselves before had stopped to watch. It was making the whole situation worse.

 

The taller guard looked annoyed, he had starting making his way towards where Dan was again before an arm was thrown in his path to block him.

 

“I’ll handle it.”

“But, your majesty-“

“I said I would handle it. Can’t you see he’s terrified? Just, let me.”

 

Dan took this moment to look up and was met with a faint smile. The man, who he presumed was the prince due to his attire and the guard’s use of ‘your majesty’, had stopped a respectable distance away from him. The hallway seemed to empty on his command.

 

“Do you want me to take you somewhere less busy?” He asked, calmly extending a hand in Dan’s direction. He felt obliged to take it, so he did, with a nod. The prince was calmer, gentler than the guards. His voice was low and only seemed to fill the silence between them when it was needed. If he was this kind, Dan hoped that his prince would be, as well.

 

“I hope you’re Daniel or this would be quite awkward.” The prince laughed softly, his face lighting up at his own words. He had taken them to a small sitting room, about the size of Dan’s bedroom in the tower. Without a second thought, Dan sat down on the couch.

 

“I am.”

 

“I’m sorry that the guards didn’t handle bringing you here well. They weren’t properly instructed on how exactly the situation would work.” He took a seat next to Dan, leaving space between them, before he stuck out his hand again. “I’m Prince Philip, but to you, I’m just Phil.”

 

Dan stared at his hand blankly before realizing he was supposed to shake it. He did so nervously, before it clicked that this man was his future husband. It wasn’t the crown prince, it was _his_ prince.

 

“Oh! Um, alright. You can call me Dan.”

 

The prince smiled, an expression that seemed fitting for his face and quickly sent a wave of comfort through Dan’s body.

 

“I can show you around the castle if you want.” Phil rose before abruptly sitting back down again. “Actually, on second thought, let’s do that tonight. It will be less busy and I think easing you into it would be better. You haven’t left that tower for years from what I’ve been told. All the people must be overwhelming.”

 

Dan sighed, nodding his head. It seemed Phil understood and that was all he was asking. It also helped that he was very, _very_ attractive. When Dan looked at him, he couldn’t help but think he would fit so well on the pages of a storybook. The contrast of the darkness of his hair with his skin, the way his face was structured, the fact his eyes were so blue they almost looked fake. He was a storybook prince, for sure.

 

“Thank you.” Dan finally spoke again, a nervous smile grew on his face and Phil seemed to relax at the sign of it.

 

“Don’t thank me. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Dan.”

 

* * *

 

 

Phil had led Dan through a back hallway to the room he would be staying in until they wed. It was lavish, almost triple the size of his bedroom in the tower. Phil had taken one look at Dan’s awe struck expression and laughed, telling him that if he liked this room to just wait until he saw the one they would be sharing.

 

He had left Dan moments later, promising to return soon.

 

After he was gone, Dan collapsed onto the bed. It was all quite a lot to take in. From the people to the palace, he wasn’t quite sure what he should try to wrap his mind around first. His body sank into the mattress of the bed, the silk sheets below him soft to the touch. It was against his will when he dozed off, eyes fluttering shut without a second thought.

 

There was no telling how long he’d been asleep when he felt a faint nudge against his shoulder. Naturally, he jolted awake, scrambling to the back of the bed. His mind strained to remember where he was, what was happening, and when he finally did, he could already feel the embarrassed blush spreading across his face.

 

“M’sorry.” He mumbled, burying his face in his hands. Phil had only chuckled, gently moving his hands down to his lap.

 

“Don’t apologize. It will take time to get used to. I understand.” With a pause, he seemed to rethink his sentence before speaking again, “Well, I don’t understand because I haven’t lived in a tower or anything, but I understand that it will take time.”

 

Dan had moved back to the edge of the bed where Phil sat. He had hesitantly placed his hand under Phil’s, looking up at him with a curious expression that Phil responded to with a smile. He was already so comfortable with Dan. Dan wished he could say the same.

 

But, he was nervous. Like Phil had said, it was all so new. Where Phil had years of practice being in the public eye, Dan had none. He could feel himself slipping into a panic when Phil’s fingers brushed across his cheek. He resisted leaning into the touch.

 

“You’re fine. I’ll be here every step of the way. Okay?”

 

Dan could have cried on the spot.

 

* * *

 

The wedding was surprisingly smaller than Dan expected. There were sprigs of lavender tied to the chairs and a smaller one pinned to the front of his jacket. He later learned that Phil had planned it that way for him, because lavender was calming and too many people would have scared him. Dan felt like the luckiest person in the world.

 

The King and Queen had taken to Dan immediately as if he had been part of their family forever. In a way, Dan supposed he had been. Phil’s older brother didn’t speak. He only nodded once in Dan’s direction before walking away.

 

(Phil told him that was a good thing. Dan believed him.)

 

It was new and it was scary and Dan still didn’t know what his place in the prophecy was.

 

But, he decided he didn’t care. Leaving the tower wasn’t just walking into another cage. He was free here. Phil never once told him what he could and could not do, he just let him be. He wasn’t forced into any royal parties or dinners unless he wanted to be, he didn’t have to talk to anyone unless he felt comfortable. And over time, he did.

 

The first time he went to a castle ball, Phil had seemed so proud. He held his hand the whole time, his thumb tracing gently against his skin when he started to get nervous. They ended up leaving earlier than planned, but Phil still peppered his face with kisses, whispering quiet words of “I’m proud of you” and “you did so well.”

 

It was the beginning of many more firsts for Dan.

 

* * *

 

 

All of Dan’s doubts about marrying the prince had faded away. For the first time in years, he was happy.

He was free.


End file.
